Laundry appliance



y 3, 1966 w. c. FILES 3,249,253

LAUNDRY APPLIANCE Filed March 5, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet l INV EN TOR.

By ZZ/[Ziiam C. FZZes QM Mm vfttarng y 3, 1966 w. c. FILES 3,249,253

LAUNDRY APPLIANCE Filed March 5, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Z fz'iliam C. F4265 flttarmsy United States Patent 3,249,253 LAUNDRY. APPLIANCE William Courtney Files, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to McGraw-Edison Company, Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Delaware Filed Mar. 3, 1964, Ser. No. 348,969 13 Claims. (Cl. 220-29) cylinder, including access doors and locking devices, be

of relatively heavy, strong construction. Consequently, the access doors of washer-extractor work cylinders are relatively heavy and diflicult to operate.

It is an object of the invention to provide the hinged doors of a washer-extractor work cylinder with new and improved counterbalance means.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a washing machine having a washer-extractor work cylinder with access doors which are relatively easy to operate.

Another object of the invention is to provide the pair of access doors of a washing machine work cylinder with linkage means for transferring the counterbalancing gravity forces from each door to the other to facilitate door operation.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a laundry appliance work cylinder with a first access door which is aided by gravity forces when moving toward an open position and opposed thereby when moving toward a closed position and a second door which is opposed by gravity forces when moving toward an open position and aided thereby when moving toward a closed position, wherein linkage means are provided for-interconnecting the doors so that the gravity forces acting on each door are transferred to the other.

These and other objects and advantages of the instant invention will become more apparent from the detailed description thereof taken with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a washer-extractor work cylinder, incorporating a door operating mechanism according to the instantv invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the work cylinder illustrated in FIG. 1;v

FIG. 3 is a view taken along lines 33 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view of a portion of the counter-balancing linkage according to the instant invention.

Referring now specifically to FIG. 1, the washing machine 10, in which the instant invention is incorporated, is shown to include an outer housing 11, a cylindrical tub 12 and a tub access door 14, each of which is well known in the art and the details of which comprise no part of the instant invention and, accordingly, each is shown by phantom lines for the sake of simplicity.

The washing machine 10 also includes at least one work cylinder 15 which is rigidly mounted on a horizontal shaft 18 by means of a hub 16 for rotation about a horizontal axis by a drive mechanism, which is not shown but which is well known in the art. When the washing machine 10 includes a pair of work cylinders 15, as illustrated in FIG. 2,.they are rigidly attached in a co-axial, side-byside relation by means of a connecting hub 19 to which each is rigidly affixed, and each is driven by the shaft 18.

Referring again to FIG. 1, it will be seen that the cylinder 15 is divided into a pair of compartments or chambers 20 and 22 by a perforated panel 23 which extends transversely across the chamber. Each of the compartments 20 and 22 has an access opening 24 and its own set of access doors 25 and 25', respectivel the cylinder 15 being brought around to position the doors sequentially at the front of the machine for loading and unloading each of the compartments.

The cylinder 15 is of a conventional and well-known type and consists of a perforated cylindrical casing 26 having an imperforate circular wall 27 rigidly secured at either end in any manner well known in the art. A plurality. of spaced, heavy annular reinforcing bands are affixed to and closely encircle the casing 26. In addition, a pair of cross plates 30 extends longitudinally along the cylinder 15 at a point adjacent the opposite sides of the respective access openings 24 on either side of the cylinder.

The two sets of doors 25 and 25' are duplicate and independently operable, FIG. 1 illustrating the doors 25' for the compartment 22 in their closed position and the doors 25 for the compartment 20 in their open position. Each set of doors 25 and 25 consists of upper and lower doors 32 and 33, respectively, and each is pivotable outwardly from a closed position shown by the doors 25 in FIG. 1 to an open position shown by the doors 25.

The doors 32 and 33 are also strongly constructed, each including heavy reinforcing arcuate band segments 34 and 35, respectively, which extend along each of their lateral edges. As seen in FIG. 3, each end of the outermost band segments 34 and 35 is provided with a hinge lug 36 which extends inwardly through slots 37 in each of the cross plates 30 and each has an aperture in registry with an aperture formed in a second hinge lug 38 afiixed to the inner surface of the cylinder 15. Upper and lower hinge rods 39 and 40 extend through each of the hinge lugs 36 and 38 at each side of the cylinder 15 and the 0pposite ends of each of said rods 39 and 40 are afiixed to the lugs 36 by pins 41 which extend transversely through each.

The mechanism'44 for latching and securing each of the doors32 and 33 in a closed position is well known in the art and, accordingly, will not be discussed in detail for the sake of brevity. For a more complete description of the latching mechanism 44, reference is made to copending application S.N. 224,422 filed September 18, 1962, now U.S. Patent No. 3,158,707, granted November 24, 1964 and assigned to the assignee of the instant invention. It will be sufiicient for the purpose of understanding the instant invention to state that four individual bolt latches (not shown) are provided and each is movable out of a corresponding catch (not shown) by pivoting an associated handle 45 outwardly of the cylinder 15. Such pivotal movement of the handles 45 is normally prevented by a pair of interlocked safety bars 48 which cover the free ends of handles 45. The safety bars 43 may be moved out of blocking relation relative to the handles 45 by a removable hand wheel 49 which is removed before the machine is put into operation.

The invention consists of providing a linkage assembly .the left and to its closed position.

pair 50' for operation of the doors 25'. Each linkage 50 includes a first relatively short link 52 which is affixed to the outwardly extending end of the lower hinge shaft 40, a relatively long link53 pivotally connected to the upper door 32 and a knee pin 54 which pivotally connects the opposite ends of the links 52 and 53.

More specifically, as seen in FIGS. 2 and 4, each of the opposite ends of the lower hinge shaft 40 has a squared configuration 55 and a threaded extreme'outer end 56. The one end of the link 52 has a square aperture for registry with the squared portion 55 with the shaft 40 and is held in position by a nut 58 which engages the threaded ends 56 of the shaft 40. The one end of each link 53 is pivotally connetced to the upper door 32 by means of a pair of cars 60 which are each rigidly afiixed to one of the outer ends of a bracket member 61 which extends transversely from each of the outer upper reinforcing band segments 34 and over the end of the cylinder 26. As seen in FIG. 1, the pivotal connection 64 between the one end of link 53 and the upper door half 32 is spaced from the upper hinge shaft 39 so that movement of the pivot point 64 will tend to pivot the upper door 32 about hinge shaft 39. v

It will be appreciated that when the doors 25 are adjacent the front of the washer 10, the door 32 moves in a generally upward direction as it pivots toward an open position and in a generally downward direction a it pivots toward a closed position. Conversely, the door 33 moves in a generally downward direction as it pivots toward open position and in a generally upward direction as it pivots toward its closed position. Thus, gravity forces acting on the upper door 32 will aid movement toward its closed position and oppose movement toward its open position while such forces will aid movement of the lower door 33 toward its open position and oppose movement toward its closed position. The linkage 50 interconnects the doors 32 and 33 so that the gravity forces acting on each door will tend to counterbalance the other.

The door 25' and the linkage 50' are shown in FIG. 1 in their closed position. When the operator desires to open doors 32 and 33 for example, the cylinder 15 is rotated until it is opposite the front of the casing 11. The latch mechanism 44 is then operated so that the doors 32 and 33 may be pivoted outwardly about their hinge shafts 39 and 40 respectively. This corresponds to clockwise movement of the lower door 33 toward its open position as viewed in FIG. 1. Such movement of the lower door 33 rocks the short link 52 clockwise from its phantom nominally horizontal position to its full nominally vertical position whereby the knee pin 54 is moved upwardly and to the right. Thus, the gravity force tending to pivot the lower door 33 downwardly will be reflected as an upward force on the knee pin 54. This forces the long link 53 to move generally upwardly and to pivot through a slight counterclockwise angle from its phantom position to its full position, to swing the upper door 32 counterclockwise about the upper hinge shaft 39 to its open position shown in the drawing. The upper door 32 will thus be moving in opposition to the gravity forces acting on it and these forces will be reflected as a downward force on knee pin 54 in opposition to the upward force resulting from the movement of the door 33. Thus, the weight of'each door will tend to counterbalance the other as they move toward their open positions.

As the linkage 50 moves from its phantom position in FIG. 1 to its full position, it will pass through a straightline position, whereupon it will move over center and tend to collapse toward the right as viewed in FIG. 1, but this movement is limited by a stop bracket 66 rigidly affixed to the. end wall 27. Because the Weight of the upper door 32 tends to collapse the linkage 50 farther to the right, the knee pin 54 is held tightly against the stop 66 to prevent the linkage 5i) from collapsing toward This is desirable because it prevents accidental closing of the doors should 4. it become necessary to tip the cylinder 15 slightly in one direction or the other when the machine is being unloaded.

It will be appreciated further that when the door 32 is being swung downwardly toward its closed position, it will be aided by its gravity forces while the weight of the lower door 33 tends to resist movement toward its closed position. Thus, as the door 32 pivots downwardly, it forces the knee pin 54 downwardly and to the left as viewed in FIG. 1 as the link 53 is forced from its full position toward its phantom position. This downward force on the knee pin 54,:refiecting the gravity forces on the upper door 32, is resisted by an opposite force on said pin resulting from the gravity forces on the door 33 which tend to resist counterclockwise rocking movement of the link 52.

It will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the length of the various links 52 and53 and their angular relationships will be governed by the relative weights of the two doors 32 and 33 and that variations in the forces involved and in the movements of the various members can be modified by changing. these factors. For

example, in the illustrated embodiment, the lengths and' angular relationships of the links and the various pivots are such that lower door 33 moves slightly in advance of upper door 32 when approaching the fully closed position, this being necessary because certain of the parts on the upper door 32 overlap the lower door 33. In addition, when the doors 25 are in their closed position, the effective lever arm between pivot points 39 and 64, against which the link 53 is pushing or pulling, is relatively short,

so that a given amount of movement of link 53 gives a relatively greater amount'of swing to the upper door 32. The created effect is that when the doors are somewhat nearer their closed position, they tend to close; therefore, a slight pull is used when first starting the doors open and thereafter the parts move into full xcounterbalancing relationship.

While only a single embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, and, further, while the invention has been discussed in relation to one particular type of washing machine, it is not intended to be limited thereby but only by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a laundry appliance, a chamber, an access opening in said chamber, first and second access do'ors'mounted on said chamber for movement between open and closed positions, said first door moving generally downward to be aided by gravity forces when moving towards its open position and moving generally upwardly to be opposed by said forces when moving toward a closed position, said second door moving generally upwardly to be opposed by gravity forces when moving toward an open position and moving generally downwardly to be aided by said forces when moving toward a closed position, first link means rigidly connected at one end to one of said doors and extending generally 'alway therefrom, second link means pivotally connected at one end to said first link means and pivotally connected at its other end to said other door at a point displaced from the pivotal axis thereof.

2. The laundry appliance set forth in claim 1 wherein said first link is fixedly secured at one end to said first door and extending generally transverse thereto so that its free end moves in a generally upward direction as said chamber, an access opening in said chamber, first and second access doors each pivotally mounted on said charmber about one of a pair of horizontal axes disposed adjacent the sides of said access opening so that pivotal movement of said doors in opposite directions will move them into and out of a closed position relative to said opening, said first door moving in a generally downward direction as it pivots toward an open position so that a gravity force acts on said first door in a direction aiding movement toward an open position and opposing movement toward a closed position, said second door moving in a generally upward direction as it pivots toward an open position so that a gravity force acts thereon in a direction opposing movement toward an open position and aiding movement toward a closed position, linkage means interconnecting said doors and constructed and arranged to transfer the gravity forces acting on each door to the other so that said doors tend to counterbalance each other.

5. The laundry appliance set forth in claim 4 wherein said linkage means includes a first link means fixedly secured at one end to said first door and extending generally transverse thereto so that its free end moves in a generally upward direction as said first door pivots toward its open position and second link means pivotally connected at its opposite ends to said second door at a point spaced from its pivotal axis and to the opposite end of said first link means.

6. The laundry appliance set forth in claim 4 wherein said linkage means includes a first link means fixedly secured at one end to said first door and extending in a nominally horizontal direction, said first link means pivoting upwardly through a nominally vertical position as said first door pivots toward its open position, and second link means pivotally connected at its opposite ends to said second door at a point spaced from its pivotal axis and to the opposite end of said first link means, said linkage means moving through an overcenter position as said doors are opened so that they tend to collapse in the opposite direction, and stop means engageable by said linkage means after the same have pivoted through an overcenter position.

7. In a laundry appliance, a work cylinder rotatably mounted about a horizontal axis and having an access opening formed in the cylindrical portion thereof, first and second adjacently disposed access doors each pivotally mounted on said cylinder about one of a pair of horizontal axes disposed adjacent a pair of opposite sides of said access opening, said axes being generally vertically spaced when said cylinder is in a predetermined position so that each of said doors has an axial edge in engagement when said doors are closed, said doors being opened upon movement of said edges in opposite directions, said first door moving in a generally downward direction as it pivots toward an open position so that a gravity force acts on ,it in a direction aiding movement toward an open position and opposing movement toward a closed position, said second door moving in a generally upward direction as it pivots toward an open position so that a gravity force acts on it in a direction opposing movement toward an open position and aiding movement toward a closed position, linkage means interconnecting said doors and being constructed and arranged to transfer the gravity forces on each door to the other so that said doors tend to counterbalance each other.

8. The laundry appliance set forth in claim 7 wherein said linkage means includes a first link means fixedly secured at one end to said first door and extending generally transverse thereto so that its free end moves in a.

generally upward direction as said first door pivots toward its open position and second link means pivotally connected at its opposite ends to said second door at a point spaced from its pivotal axis and to the opposite end of said first link means.

9. The laundry appliance set forth in claim 7 wherein said linkage means includes a first link means fixedly secured at one end to said first door and extending in a nominally horizontal direction, said first link means pivoting upwardly through a nominally vertical position as said first door pivots toward its open position, and second link means pivotally connected at its opposite ends to said second door at a point spaced from its pivotal axis and to the opposite end of said first link means, said linkage means moving through an overcenter position as said doors are opened so that they tend to collapse the opposite direction, and stop means engageable by said linkage means after the same have pivoted through an oveicenter position. A

10. A laundry appliance as set forth in claim 4 wherein said linkage means includes a first link rigidly afiixed to one of said doors and extending away therefrom and a second link pivotally connected adjacent one end to said first link and pivotally connected adjacent its other end to said other door at a point displaced from the pivotal axis thereof.

11. The laundry appliance set forth in claim 7 wherein said linkage means comprises a first link rigidly affixed at one end to one of said doors and extending away therefrom and a second link pivotally connected adjacent one end to said first link and is pivotally connected adjacent its other end to said other door at a point displaced from the pivotal axis thereof.

12. The laundry appliance set forth in claim 4 wherein said linkage means includes a first link connected adjacent one end of said first door and movable in a generally upward direction as said first door pivots toward its open position and a second link connected adjacent one end to said first link .and adjacent its other end to said second door and movable in a generally downward direction as said second door moves toward its closed position, said first link transmitting the gravity force of said first door to said second door during the opening of said doors and .said second link transmitting the gravity force of said second door to said first door during the closing thereof.

13. The laundry appliance set forth in claim 7 wherein said linkage means comprises a first link connected adjacent one end to said first door and movable in a generally downward direction as the first door pivots toward its open position and a second link connected adjacent one end to said first link and adjacent its other end to said second door and being movable in a generally downward direction as said second door moves toward its closed position, said first link transmitting gravity forces from said first door to said second door during the opening of said doors, said second link transmitting the gravity forces from said second door to said first door during the closing thereof.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,598,355 8/1926 Maki 68-139 2,249,932 7/1941 Beal 268-74 LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner. G. T. HALL, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A LAUNDRY APPLIANCE, A CHAMBER, AN ACCESS OPENING IN SAID CHAMBER, FIRST AND SECOND ACCESS DOORS MOUNTED ON SAID CHAMBER FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN OPEN AND CLOSED POSITIONS, SAID FIRST DOOR MOVING GENERALLY DOWNWARD TO BE AIDED BY GRAVITY FORCES WHEN MOVING TOWARDS ITS OPEN POSITION AND MOVING GENERALLY UPWARDLY TO BE OPPOSED BY SAID FACES WHEN MOVING TOWARD A CLOSED POSITION, SAID SECOND DOOR MOVING GENERALLY UPWARDLY TO BE OPPOSED BY GRAVITY FORCES WHEN MOVING TOWARD AN OPEN POSITION AND MOVING GENERALLY DOWNWARDLY TO BE AIDED BY SAID FORCES WHEN MOVING TOWARD A CLOSED POSITION, FIRST LINK MEANS RIGIDLY CONNECTED AT ONE END TO ONE OF SAID DOORS AND EXTENDING GENERALLY AWAY THEREFROM, SECOND LINK MEANS PIVOTALLY CONNECTED AT ITS OTHER END TO SAID MEANS AND PIVOTALLY CONNECTED AT ITS OTHER END TO SAID OTHER DOOR AT A POINT DISPLACED FROM THE PIVOTAL AXIS THEREOF. 